Cross the Boundary GL - Chapter 11

Li Chu was afraid Lin Zhiyan’s “disrespectful” gaze would offend Qin Song, so she instinctively stood between the two and said, “I’ll come over after I set up the machine.”

Lin Zhiyan’s eyes, wide as copper bells, followed Qin Song. “That must have hurt a lot to get tattooed!”

Qin Song glanced at her indifferently, bent her elbow, and rested her forearm on the back of the chair, a rather casual posture.

Li Chu quickly interjected, “Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, Sister Zhiyan. You came so early today; do you want to go upstairs and sleep for a while? I’ll call you when it’s time for lunch?”

Lin Zhiyan shook her head. “No need, I went to bed at ten yesterday. Have you thought about what to have for lunch?”

Li Chu hadn’t even had breakfast and felt a little hungry at the mention of food. “I want to eat egg tarts right now.”

“You haven’t had breakfast?”

“You called me downstairs at nine, didn’t you?” Li Chu drooped her eyelids weakly. “I opened the door for you right away, so I haven’t eaten anything yet.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhiyan stood up. “I’ll go buy some for you!”

“No, no, no!” Li Chu stopped her. “You’ve come all this way, don’t move. I won’t be hungry once I get busy.”

“How can you not? You’ll die if you don’t eat breakfast.”

She said it so righteously that Li Chu believed her, her voice turning faint. “Ah… will I really die?”

Lin Zhiyan reached out and pinched her cheek. “Yes! You really will!”

Qin Song’s flat voice suddenly cut in. “Go eat.”

Li Chu and Lin Zhiyan both looked at her, and the hand pinching her face unconsciously dropped.

So, Lin Zhiyan went out to buy food, leaving Li Chu and Qin Song as usual: one quietly touching up a tattoo, the other enjoying the process.

After half an hour of tattooing, Li Chu needed to get some new pigments from a cabinet, but they were placed very high. The delivery person had clearly not considered her height when putting the box on the shelf.

Looking around, the tallest chair was occupied by Qin Song, and she hesitated before asking, “Can I have the chair for a moment?”

Qin Song turned around, her gaze scrutinizing.

Li Chu explained, “I can’t reach it; it’s too high.”

The delivery person had put the box on the top shelf, and since it was a whole box, it was heavy and couldn’t be jumped for.

Qin Song looked at her calmly, then slowly stood up to give her the chair. Li Chu hurried to move it, but before she could, Qin Song, with her long legs swaying, walked toward the cabinet.

Li Chu instinctively took a step back, her back pressing against the cabinet door. She looked up and saw Qin Song’s indifferent and cold face inches away. It was beautiful but also unapproachable.

Qin Song propped one hand on the wooden shelf above her head, her hair brushing against Li Chu’s neck. The prickly sensation, like a light breath on her eyelids, made her blink uncomfortably.

“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” The way Qin Song said this was also emotionless, as if asking for her help was a privilege.

Li Chu’s neck was stiff, and she felt as if all the blood had been drained from her body. She said weakly, “I was afraid of bothering you.”

How could she dare to ask her? Even if she had, Qin Song might not have bothered to move. When it came to favors, Qin Song was a master of extreme detachment.

“Bothering me?” Qin Song moved closer, her magnified features appearing a little blurry. “You’ve already caused a lot of trouble. What’s one more time?”

Although she said it lightly, Li Chu couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trouble she had caused.

If the incident at the bar counted, it was indeed trouble.

“But I didn’t mean to,” Li Chu earnestly defended. “If I hadn’t left then, it would have been more dangerous.”

She had clearly misunderstood, but Qin Song had no intention of explaining. Li Chu had disrupted all balance, and her life’s order was now askew.

For instance, Lin Zhiyan’s unrestrained actions would make her feel irritated, just like everything before—an inexplicable discomfort she couldn’t suppress.

Her fingers moved upward, touching the box of pigments, and her body moved closer, almost touching.

Li Chu was squeezed between the cabinet and Qin Song, her body growing hot and her legs shaky.

This situation was perfect for something to happen. The height difference between them was significant, so if they were to kiss, Qin Song would have to bend down.

Li Chu stood still, numb, her mouth catching the warm, sharp tongue stud, which sent her thoughts into a whirl.

The wind chimes on the door tinkled, and she gasped, her breathing unsteady. Realizing Lin Zhiyan was back, she abruptly pushed the person in front of her away.

Qin Song leaned back, the heavy box in her hand falling but quickly caught. She put the box away, frowning.

A pink streak of hair partially obscured her overly sharp face, making it seem less severe, but in fact, it was even more piercing.

Li Chu’s heart was pounding. She had almost been crushed.

“Li Xiaochu! Come and eat the egg tarts!” Lin Zhiyan walked in from outside, holding two plastic bags.

Li Chu responded softly and ran out from in front of Qin Song, her movements seeming timid and awkward due to her self-consciousness.

Lin Zhiyan was looking down, taking food out of the bags, so she didn’t look up at them. The golden egg tarts steamed, and their sweet, rich smell filled the air.

Qin Song touched her teeth with the tip of her tongue, adjusting the slightly shifted metal stud, then sat back in her chair, watching the person eat calmly and emotionlessly.

Startled and with an empty stomach, Li Chu was eating a little too quickly. Seeing this, Lin Zhiyan poked a straw into a carton of milk and handed it to her. “Eat slowly. Did someone starve you?”

She said this and then looked at Qin Song playfully. “This customer, you have to take good care of our Li Xiaochu and not let her go hungry.”

Li Chu’s heart jumped. She swallowed a mouthful of egg tart too quickly and almost choked. “Sister Zhiyan, how about we have boiled fish for lunch?”

Lin Zhiyan smiled happily. “How did you know I love boiled fish! I just walked around, and there aren’t many good restaurants here. The best one is still the one on Hongfu Road. I’m so nostalgic.”

Many small restaurants had opened near the Hongfu Orphanage. One boiled fish restaurant had been there since Li Chu could remember.

With that, Lin Zhiyan suggested, “How about we go there to eat? I haven’t been to Hongfu in a long time. I want to see Director Hu and the others.”

Qin Song’s hand suddenly tapped the table, her ring hitting the wooden surface with a dull, heavy sound.

Li Chu looked over, unable to detect any warmth in the lifeless eyes, which were as stagnant as a dry well. She hesitated. “…Maybe next time…? It’s a bit rushed today.”

“Don’t say that!” Lin Zhiyan crossed her hands over her chest. “What’s rushed about it? It’s only ten o’clock. Or how about we go for dinner?”

It was rare for her to visit, and Li Chu couldn’t bear to refuse. “Okay, then let’s go in the evening. If you’re bored, you can walk around nearby.”

After breakfast, Lin Zhiyan went out to wander, and without her, the shop returned to its usual silence.

Over the buzzing of the machine, Qin Song’s voice came through. “Work requires undivided attention. Don’t be disturbed by external factors.”

Li Chu screwed the pigment bottle cap back on, unsure how to respond.

She felt the sentence was hinting at something, but who could guess what Qin Song was thinking? Such an unfathomable person, Li Chu couldn’t possibly fathom her intentions.

Perhaps it was just a reminder, as the agreement clearly stated that Qin Song would teach her how to run the business.

The touch-up on the leg was finished around 6 p.m. Li Chu had just put her things away when Lin Zhiyan’s call came in. “Li Xiaochu, are you done? I’m waiting for you at the intersection.”

Li Chu covered the phone’s microphone and glanced at the woman in the chair. “Okay, I’ll be right there after I pack up.”

When she left, Qin Song had just crossed a traffic light. She looked back; the scenery on the other side of the road was the same as always. The flower shop had removed the roses and replaced them with the latest seasonal flowers.

In her eyes, the world was still riddled with decay, a putrid, filthy reality.

Streetlights cast scattered beams of light that filtered through the leaves, landing on Lin Zhiyan and Li Chu as they walked. They needed to get to the bus stop a little further ahead.

Qin Song’s hands hung at her sides, her lips dry from not drinking water for a long time, making her throat feel parched.

She couldn’t suppress her current emotions; her disrupted mood was terrible. If Li Chu were right beside her, she might want to grip her more tightly, to make her stop trying to change her.

But right now, Li Chu was across the street, laughing and chatting with Lin Zhiyan, who had her arm linked in hers. Qin Song found the sight a little jarring.

Cars flashed by, making her eyes ache. Qin Song suddenly found this pain very uncomfortable. She raised her hand and lowered her gaze to the bite mark on her wrist.

Li Chu had used this bite mark to make her open a wound to solve a problem. Now that she had her answer, did she not intend to sew it back up?

Qin Song thought the impulse to fulfill her promise was also a sickness, forcing her to be pathologically and maniacally obsessed with the agreement.

She should be angry. Li Chu’s useless backstories had not mentioned any friends, nor had they mentioned Lin Zhiyan.

Qin Song found the key point. She moved and turned around to continue walking toward her apartment.

However, she quickly canceled the elevator floor for her home and changed it to the underground parking lot.

A mutually beneficial partnership did need to be adjusted to the most comfortable mode, but she was very uncomfortable now. Yet, if she wanted to continue satisfying her needs, only Li Chu’s technique could achieve it.

This also proved another point: their relationship still needed to be adjusted.

Qin Song rarely drove; she didn’t like to. Yangxin was far away, which was why she usually took a taxi.

The dark, large car in the garage looked as if it had never been driven. Because it had been parked for so long without exposure to wind and rain, it hadn’t accumulated much dust.

Qin Song drove onto the road. The bustling sidewalk was filled with passengers waiting for the bus. This was a bus stop, and when the bus wasn’t there, many ride-share cars would stop nearby to pick up customers.

She drove her car to the side of the bus stop and rolled down the window.

Li Chu was still chatting and laughing with Lin Zhiyan, hand in hand. Seeing the car, she thought it was for someone else and pulled Lin Zhiyan out of the way.

But in the next second, the car window slowly went down, revealing a beautiful and cold face. The streetlights dyed the corners of her eyes and brows with a warm yellow hue, making the owner of the eyes look less harsh.

Qin Song’s hands were naturally clasped on the steering wheel, and she turned to the two dumbfounded girls at the bus stop, lifting her chin slightly.

The lines of her jaw were smooth and sharp, and when she lifted it, it carried an indescribable air of dominance and certainty.

Sure enough, once the window was completely down, Qin Song’s entire face was without expression, and her eyelashes cast a delicate shadow on the bridge of her nose.

Li Chu was baffled. “You can drive?”

Qin Song thought to herself that this was a stupid question.

So she stared at them with her lifeless eyes for a while before lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Get in.”

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